welcome to "world news." tonight, big hits. the brand new lawsuit against the nfl. were star players fed drugs to keep them playing? berger alert. the recall is expanding. our dr. richard besser investigates. and getting out alive. tonight, our experiment. how effective are smoke detectors in your home? and some big surprises about what you should do. and tonight, the big dance. behind the scenes, the unlikely new dancing star inspiring millions of americans. how does she do it? good evening to you on this tuesday night.

as we come on the air, we're hearing more of this big, stunning hit on the nfl today. some of the nation's biggest athletes are suing the league, claiming a secret world of deception by the league. claiming painkillers were given out like candy. encouraging players to play with broken bones and in agonizing pain. jim avila has been studying these breaking details. >> reporter: violent hits like this one broke super bowl player jim mcmahon's neck. an injury he says nfl doctors never told him about. leaving him to play hurt for years. so, he and 500 other players are suing the league. charging the league hid injuries behind a mask of pain pills. creating a culture of drug misuse. substituting players' health for profit. >> you end up having anesthetized warriors going out

there on sunday, pumped up with a combination of narcotics and anti inflammatories to get them out on the field. >> reporter: mcmahon has complained for years. saying the nfl hid the effects of concussions. >> they knew about it, and didn't tell us. it's just like flat-out lying to you. >> reporter: now this second big hit from the players, including hall-of-famer richard dent. called the sack man. but in today's lawsuit, he says it was the league that damaged him by hiding a foot injury that still has him limping. >> you get shut out 16 times, eight weeks in a row. and you lean on the league to medically help you in certain ways. when you look at it long term,

it's all about getting you back to work and getting you to win and play games. >> reporter: nfl commissioner roger goodell was asked about the lawsuit late today. >> i don't believe any of our attorneys have had a chance to look at it. and i've been in meetings all day. >> reporter: the former athletes saying that these injuries could have been prevented if they'd only known. and come off the field. diane? >> 500 players suing the league tonight. thank you, jim. and now to the massive recall of ground beef. growing tonight with new questions. not just about hamburgers in restaurants but possibly grocery stores. dr. richard besser traveled to washington, d.c. to get answers. >> reporter: health officials are on high alert. the recall expanding, now including beef sent to restaurants and possibly grocery stores.

the biggest worry, ground beef for burgers, because grilling season is here and people often don't cook them enough to kill this dangerous strain of e. coli which has already sickened 11 people. >> i've never been that sick before in my life. >> reporter: kevin mcdermed thinks he's one. diagnosed with the same strain of e. coli behind tonight's recall after eating an undercooked hamburger. forced to spend ten days in the hospital, describing the pain. >> a hot knife in your guts or battery acid. >> reporter: it can take up to ten days before symptoms appear. and not only can this make you sick for a full week, but it can lead to kidney failure, even death. so did you eat or buy the bad beef? well, the federal government is investigating, and is going to disclose any names of the retailers impacted. but they're still going through reams of paper. trying to sort out where it went. and what about restaurants? >> yes, that's right. that's right. no one has mentioned the restaurants yet. >> reporter: why not? there may be people out there

who ate there and are sick but don't realize they could have a serious infection. >> i think those people will eventually know. >> reporter: doesn't the public have a right to know? >> they will know at some point where the beef was distributed. 11 illnesses is 11 too many in my book. but we prevented a larger recall with our quick action. >> reporter: regulations prohibit the fda from telling us which restaurants have been affected. those laws should change. but for now, you need to know, when you're in a restaurant, order your burger well done. for beef at home, the freezer doesn't kill e. coli. you still have to cook it through to 160 degrees. nothing else. >> but can you see when you've cooked it enough? to 160 degrees? can you tell visually? >> it's hard. you should use that thermometer. if you don't have one, cut it in half. make sure it's brown all the way

through. >> thank you. and now, after this already turbulent season for general motors, today another recall. the company recalling 2.4 million cars and pickups. citing a variety of reasons. with today's announcement, they have now recalled a total of 13.6 million vehicles this year, a record high for the company. and it's primary day for much of america. a wig -- big race in california. mitch mcconnell has won his battle against matt bevens. and we'll keep you posted as the results come in tonight, online. and we're looking at a new map of same-sex marriage, now legal across the entire northeast of this country. today, a federal judge ruled pennsylvania's ban was unconstitutional. this ruling comes 24 hours after oregon's ban was struck down as

well. and tonight, a lot of people are shocked about a new report about germs that could be all around you on airplane passenger flights. especially in a time when new viruses are on the rise. david kerley has the latest on invisible passengers flying with you. >> reporter: you and all those other passengers aren't the only living things on that jetliner. tonight, researchers say troubling bacteria can live in the plane environment for a week or longer. in a lab, they put bacteria on tray tables, window shades, seat pockets and arm rests. and found that e. coli and the antibiotic resistant mersa can live on long after the passenger has departed the plane. i took a flight today. so why are planes any different than any other mass transit, say buses or trains? well, it's because a lot of times on planes we eat, and that's hand to mouth, meaning we bring germs right to our face. on a typical flight, washington

to new york, up to seven trips a day, meaning as many as six other people may have been in the same seat touching that tray table and window shade. airlines say every time they land the cabin is cleaned, tray tables, seats wiped. delta says overnight, a more thorough disinfection, including the walls and window shades. but with new viruses coming to the u.s., we may need to do more. >> with mers moving to the u.s., this is the perfect opportunity for the airline industry to get together with the faa and begin to assess the risk that the aircraft cabin does represent to the flying public. >> reporter: his best advice, wash or sanitize your hands before eating on a plane. david kerley, abc news, washington. and tonight, new fire warnings in the southwest. from arizona to texas. we have shown you the images. the ferocious fire season under way. towns ravaged. today, the u.s. forest service

signaled that help is on the way. adding four new aircraft to the nation's fleet. it will have more than 100 helicopters and 21 large airtankers. and now, a master class in resilience for the nation. it was one year ago, a tornado tore through moore, oklahoma. you remember, a school was pulverized. today, we saw heads bowed in prayer, and boy scouts marching under the banner, moore strong. david muir was there last year, and is here now. >> it's really something. we were there for the first day of school in makeshift classrooms in a local church. and tonight, with just a few days left of school, the lesson they've now taught us. this is the tornado taking 24 lives, 7 of them, children.

tonight, the before and the after. on the left, the path of destruction a year ago, and to the right, the grass growing, where homes once stood. the rebuilding under way. one of the schools decimated. the school built in its place, this time with a shelter for the children. they showed it to us. a tour of the new school. >> the beginning of these doors is the beginning of the storm shelter. >> we'll never forget the screams, with the children trapped with the storm hovering over ahead. and the instincts of their teacher, who repeatedly told them this. >> it's almost over. it's almost over! i hate this! >> one year later, this teacher telling us she doesn't know where she summoned the strength. >> i felt pretty helpless at that moment. >> reporter: she didn't reveal that to her students.

one year later, she still remembers her son looking up at her. the concrete grit in his hair. she took us inside the school where another teacher, a mother herself, was huddled on top of her son. >> my son, and all the other kids huddled down. with their hands clasped behind their heads. i know they were in the hands of people who loved them. >> this teacher, we'll never forget. you know a lot of the parents are grateful to you. and to them, you'd say? >> your children are my children. all day long, and all year long. >> reporter: one year later, we wanted to know about the schoolwork discovered in this classroom, all of it intact. just before the storm hit, they were writing what they liked most about their teacher. there was just a couple of days left for school for the year.

a year later, we went back to find this teacher, and here she is. holding a baby she had a month ago. little lily. telling us, she never made it back to her classroom. seeing the pictures now on "world news". and she remembers, and sings to her baby. she had the children singing in the hallway to keep them distracted. now, she sings to her baby. >> it's always going to be a part of me and who i am. >> so many milestones, the first day of school in the church. now stars throughout moore tonight. the message, moore strong. one with a simple heart. and the message they've carried with them this past year, have hope. the two schools will open in august, and both with shelters. both filled with teachers, who say your child is my child. all day long, all year long. >> we love these teachers and what they teach all of us. thank you, david muir. up next, we investigate what

really happens with fires and smoke alarms. and the one thing your family should do. and on this big night, the dancer whose impossible moves inspired millions. she tells us what she's thinking right now.

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fireworks. nationwide, home fires cause on average more than 2,500 deaths a year and the warmer weather brings a slew of new concerns. los angeles is responding to a record spike in fatal fires this year with this door by door campaign. >> hi. how are you? >> reporter: firefighters looking for homes without smoke detectors. >> i don't have any. >> you don't have any at all? >> nope. >> there's no smoke alarms at all in your home? >> no. >> reporter: as obvious as the need for one of these detectors is, firefighters say in seven of the nine fatal cases recently in l.a. there was not a single functioning fire detector inside those homes. in fact, across the country over 5 million households don't have any smoke alarms. how does it strike you that so few people here seem to have a functioning smoke detector? >> it's scary. as a captain the last thing we want to be doing is pulling bodies out of these houses. >> reporter: smoke detectors are the first line of defense but our investigation shows you need more, especially with children at home.

watch as we put one family to the test with theatrical smoke. it's harmless. this little boy wakes up. he's getting up. but minutes go by, his sister sleeps right through the sound of the smoke detector. the parents, horrified. >> she needs to wake up. >> reporter: in a real fire, her room could fill with smoke in seconds. the consequences fatal. firefighters tell us kids often sleep through smoke alarms, that's why families need an escape plan. in this case one parent picks up one child. smoke alarms in every bedroom and at least one on every floor. byron pitts, abc news, los angeles. coming up, what if sandra bullock surprised you at your high school graduation to tell what matters most to her? that's next on our "instant index." afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971.

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the sports world. the youngest player ever to qualify for the u.s. women's open. the sixth-grader wears braces, enjoys disney movies, has bows in her hair, and sometimes skips down the fairway. next month, she'll tee off against players old enough to be her mom. and speaking of moms, everyone that has ever chased an unruly toddler will love this bear. in pursuit of her curious cub that wandered over a barrier at a highway. watch. she looks right, left, then hauls him over the divider. watch this again. we're guessing he's still in a time-out tonight. and talk about a graduation memory. guess who stunned everyone at a high school graduation in new orleans? hollywood leading lady sandra bullock, walking to the

commencement podium to share what she's learned for sure. pearls of wisdom ricocheting around the inboxes. >> stop worrying so much. okay? stop being scared of the unknown. anything i'm worried about didn't happen. other stuff happens, but not what i'm worried about. the unknown, i can't do anything about it. and i don't remember any of the moments of my life where i've worried. >> and she says she puts on music every morning for a little dance before she starts the day. and if you want to dance, tonight is the night. coming up next, flying high backstage with the inspiring dancer on "dancing with the stars" who tells us what she's thinking at this moment. does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can be a side effect of many medications but it can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath. that's why there's biotene.

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and finally, tonight is the night for the final vote to name the new champion on "dancing with the stars." and there have been stunning performances, but one of them stands out and seems to be doing the impossible. and saying, you can do it, too. david wright takes us behind the scenes. >> reporter: they say ginger rogers did everything fred astaire did, but backwards. and in high heels. in a way, amy purdy has both of them beat. they don't make prosthetic limbs for ballroom dancing. these are for swimming. with flippers on. >> standing in the tiptoe feet, major core. major thighs. i'm doing everything i can to

keep myself balanced and steady. it's kind of like i'm on stilts. >> reporter: she was 19 when she lost both her legs and kidney function. after contracting bacterial meningitis. her dad helped get her back on her feet. donating a kidney and her first dance. determined not to be disabled, she went on to become a paralympic snowboarder. on the slopes and on the dance floor, she makes it look easy, but it's not. >> trying to be graceful when it goes heel-toe like that. it's a little challenging. >> reporter: she's taking twitter by storm. she told us she's proud to have made it this far. she's not nervous at all. >> i'm like a foot off the ground at all times. and confined in carbon fiber. it's restrictive. so now, to be dancing, it's like freedom. >> david wright, abc news, los angeles.

>> and not nervous at all. we thank you for watching tonight. we're always here at abcnews.com. "nightline" is later, and we'll see you right back here tomorrow night. good night. >> they got paid $3,000 to move out of an east bay homeless camp. tonight, where they ended up. >> driving into the city for a giants game this weekend? well, plan your trip home carefully we'll be live along the freeway

that is closing down. >> and the new head coach of the warriors talks about what he'll have to do to prove he can become a winner. >> sky 7 hd is over the scene where a construction worker has been killed in a fall >> it happened on south delaware street, former home of the bay meadows race track. >> an employee fell 157 feet and died. >> the company running the site has no violations over the last five years >> we'll have breaking updates for you as they become available. good evening, >> they were paid to go away, but they did not go far. tonight there is an east bay

homeless problem that got shuffled down the road they decamped after being given money to do so only to be relocated to the gillman street underpass. >> good evening. that homeless encampment is gone. we're here when the last resident packed up and left. what we've learned is that it isn't here anymore, it hasn't gone far. >> this are tents behind the overpass using it for intended purposes is all but impossible. this is what some bhef to be a encampment. . >> i had $3500 saved up and couldn't find a landlord to rent to me. they knew it would be gone, right away, and it was. >> this is how we do it. >>